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Pandora Division
Pandora Division is a research and development unit jointly funded by the BPR and Germany, and later the European Federation. Founded shortly after the Anglo-German alliance in 2015, Pandora Division was envisioned as an organization to undertake research into wrecks of VP suits recovered from combat before ACC could lay claim to them. Though met with limited success in their early years, both Germany distancing itself from the European Union and soon after, the formation of the EuF has led to vastly increased funding and resources, transforming Pandora into the leading research and development arm of the FAF. As Pandora Division is responsible for many of the advancements critical to the Federal military, it remains highly secretive even after it's official acknowledgement. Many of it's major facilities remain completely unknown, and it's theorized that Pandora operates through shell organizations, or through their military proxies. Though true, Pandora is more than capable and willing of acting directly, and employs their own forces on missions requiring excellence or secrecy. Functions Research and Development Though the EuF funds and operates public, forward facing research and development organizations, such as the DWF's Skunkworks, much of their research into Vannai technology is undertaken in absolute secrecy by Pandora. This research has led to technological advancements in a variety of fields, though the organization is most proud of it's work on reverse engineering the advanced ion-based flight of Vannai suits used during the war, resulting in the creation of the ARC FLASH and GLOW LAMP engines used by the Raider-I/II, Quetzalcoatlus, Mirage, and Super Vulcan. Pandora are also responsible for the creation of rare and exotic weapons, such as the Pandora Coilgun, Icarus missile family, and the Fenrir/Jormungandr Cryo-Systems. Search and Recovery Pandora have long been expected to handle research into suits, though due to Hanse's longstanding policy of confiscating intact units, Pandora Division have needed to make do with heavily damaged components. This became a serious handicap to Pandora, and though efforts to purchase unused suit-pods on the black market would bare fruit later on, Pandora originally had to formulate a plan to capture substantial numbers of VP suits to be brought back for vivisection. Due to Pandora's lack of funding, a solution was required that was both cost effective and relatively safe. The first Search and Recovery units were formed with the express purpose of tracking VP suits suspected to be undergoing hibernation in arctic areas, incapacitating them using EMP weapons and dazzlebangs, and then returning them to Iceland for research. Though these groups became adept at tracking suits through arctic conditions, and casualties remained low, the innately stressful nature of the work led to an incredibly high turnover rate. In addition, the level of caution necessitated by the danger posed by the suit suddenly coming back online led to a low capture rate. Despite the shortcomings of the SaR groups, Pandora still launches operations to capture lone VP suits wandering through territory near the EuF's borders. CBRN Warfare Since the formation of the EuF, Pandora has taken on its natural role as the steward of the Federation's nuclear arsenal, as well as being the primary custodian of it's chemical and biological weapons stores. This comes with the additional role of counter-biological warfare, as Parliament fear that, in the event of a war, ACC forces may deploy vicious biological weapons. As a result, Pandora secretly operates a large number of labs dedicated to the study of possible engineered pathogens, and preparing countermeasures to a variety of infection vectors. Pandora control a number of the EuF's ICBM silos and submarines, and are responsible for the maintenance of the warheads and missiles. Base of Operations Erebus Base, nestled in the mountains of the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in North West Iceland, is one of the EuF's most remote facilities and closest guarded secrets. Just below the Arctic Circle, the facility suffers from a harsh climate and lack of nearby support, though these difficulties proved ideal for the needs of Pandora Command, who demanded a sufficiently dangerous environment to ensure that no civilians would accidentally wander into the base. The base is split into two main sections: The surface facility, and the underground section. The surface facility houses the lower risk labs, as well as a considerable portion of the offices and habitation zones. The underground section holds the higher risk labs, and the Puppet Containment Cells, as well as bunkers for the storage of food, water, and nuclear warheads. Erebus Base is only accessible in poor weather by a road leading up from the south, or via the hidden ports in Hornvik Bay, however in better weather helicopters may land on helipads dotted around the surface base. Due to poor weather being common in the region, the base houses a number of nuclear reactors and hydroponics bays to help extend the time the base can continue to operate without resupply. There are a number of secure access points into the base at the foot of the mountains, allowing supply trucks and personnel to enter the facility through the long, cavernous tunnels that lead into the facility proper. In the event of a breach, these tunnels can be collapsed to prevent the escape of subjects, or the incursion of soon-to-be subjects. These tunnels also house the garages and workshops for the Division's motor pool. Besides the tunnels, the other major point of ingress/egress is the bases buried runways, a crisscrossing network of heavily fortified hangers and runways that have been dug into the side of the mountain over years of construction. Though these runways are too short to be a viable method to bring in larger cargo planes, they can effectively launch the Super Vulcan strategic bombers, thanks to their high thrust to weight ratio, and smaller interceptors and light bombers. These planes for the first line of defense against possible attack. The base also houses a vast arsenal of surface to air, surface to surface, and anti-shipping missiles, with accompanying RADAR and sonar arrays, with the aim of providing all round early warning defenses. Internal security is provided by the base's complement of Panzergrenadiers and SaR teams, who nominally provide insurance against the possibility of a Puppet breakout, but could also be marshaled to fight off external threats, potentially wielding the exotic weapons that Pandora develops, bringing the true might of the Division to bare. Nazgûl, Vampire, and Absolute Zero Regiments Nazgûl, Vampire, and Absolute Zero are the three main forces employed by Pandora both offensively and defensively. Each regiment is classified by the EuF at large as Light Infantry, however unlike most light infantry, they employ heavier weapons and armour than would be expected. Notably, Pandora Division forces make extensive use of the HaES-II/A, an advanced version of the HaES that provides additional comforts and physical protection to the user, with increased weight and lower maneuverability as a consequence, making it comparable to Carapace armour. Nazgûl were the first regiment formed under the command of Pandora, and are the most experienced group at their command. Nazgûl are responsible for undertaking the most dangerous SaR missions, and as a result have previously seen the fastest turnover rate of any of the other regiments, with soldiers commonly requesting transfers on medical grounds after only months of active service. Recently, the rate has begun to slow somewhat, as the hardened core of Nazgûl remain in place, instructing and encouraging raw recruits to remain part of the unit. Vampire are the second regiment formed under Pandora, and are responsible for providing additional support on SaR missions, and as such are equipped with a greater number of lethal weapons compared to Nazgûl, with a greater focus on elimination rather than capture. Vampire have a reputation for reckless destruction of possible research material, however this is a gross mischaracterization: Vampire's commanders have merely seen first hand what a suit can do to a man, and would rather not see it again. Vampire was destroyed following the Unitarist Rebellion, where SOE forces aided Nazgul and Absolute Zero in repelling the traitors in Vampire, and their aid from Hydra and Bandersnatch. Absolute Zero are the newest regiment, and are formed from ex-scientists or scientifically minded recruits as a research regiment. Equipped with the most experimental weapons at Pandora's disposal, Zeroes are known for a cavalier attitude towards both their own safety and the scientific method. Despite their lunacy, they've been responsible for the gathering of critical combat data on the Fenrir and Jormungandr cryogenic weapons systems, as well as many other, more exotic weapons systems. Category:PACYOA: TE Category:European Federation